Cafe Anime Tampa

On a hot day in August with Summer coming to an end, I went to the Grand Opening of Cafe Anime. I arrived early, as is in my nature to do so, thirty minutes till the 11am opening. It was the calm before the storm.

Soon, at 5 minutes till 11, a line formed, the doors opened and everyone rushed in. The first thing I saw was T-shirts and cosplay costumes, I looked at the small figures for sale and spotted a SD Gundam model that was tempting.

My main shopping interest is the DVDs and seeing Blue Submarine No. 6 took me back to my Toonami days. I also saw Kite and the Excel Saga box set. Overall, a great section to start off with.

Next to the DVDs was the manga section. On the top shelf were import Japanese CDs and I was glad to see Cowboy Bebop, some of the best anime music ever. Just below the DVDs were manga like the usual suspects, Attack on Titan and FCLC.

I then browsed the plush toys and looked inside the cases. Cafe Anime even carries Japanese snacks like Pocky and Ramune soda.

I remember when Cafe Anime started out as just a booth at Cons. The larger Cons want a lot of money just to be there but that is where Nathan and Scarlet are smart, they wisely shifted their focus to smaller cons. I like the smaller cons because you get to know people and you are not just pushed around in a crazy fan mob.

Nathan and Scarlet helped me out back when I needed someone to help me host my panel called A Brief History of Anime in the US that covers major US anime releases from 1961 to the present. Scarlet went the extra mile with the Miyazaki Trivia Panel and I am grateful that Cafe Anime donated prices. That panel was set up like Jeopardy with audience members volunteering to compete against each other by answering trivia questions on anime's greatest director, Miyazaki Hayao.  Both panels went over well at Tampa Bay Comic Con a few years ago.

So I am glad Tampa has a legitimate brick and mortar anime store because the only other options are Anime Fix in Downtown St. Pete and Anime Orlando. Both are lengthy drives for me. The best part of Cafe Anime is that you don't have to pay shipping and handling and you don't have to wait around for the mail, instant gratification is better.

It was a great turn out and I saw a few cosplayers. I am looking forward to seeing Cafe Anime grow and add a unique store that has been missing from Tampa for far to long. I wish Nathan and Scarlet all my best. They have both worked extremely hard to get to this point. Good luck to both of you.  

Tampa Bay Comic Con 2016: Con Report

2016 is my 4th consecutive trip to Tampa Bay Comic Con and that is a reason to celebrate. I remember back in 2012, when Comic Con was still held at the Doubletree on Cypress back when attendance was moderate and unlike the 3-day event it has become. It used to be about talking to comic vendors in the dealer's room and buying comics to read, but with the addition of celebrity guests, the astonishing popularity of The Walking Dead, and the unstoppable force of comic movie blockbusters it has blossomed from grassroots origins to a nerd mecca.  Sure, ticket prices were lower in '12 but you were only paying to walk around a dealer's room. The increased price has brought better security, panels, events, more celebrity guests, and a better experience for all at the Tampa Convention Center.

Saturday, August 6th, I was out the door at 6 and outside the main entrance at 6:35am, wound up and ready to go. Here was my view.

Why was I up so early? Was it because I was a die hard fanboy desperate to start spending my life savings? No, this was my second time around hosting a panel, the first was back in 2014. I had a 9am start time and had to arrive an hour early to get in, find my room, and set up.

It was good to see my old high school buddy, Will Robinson, a fellow fan of Star Wars, Cyberpunk, and military history. After a brief misunderstanding with security that was thankfully quickly resolved it was time to find room 5 that was near the river. I got set up and then IT helped me connect my laptop to the projector so I could show my clips.

For a while it was just Will and I, reminiscing about the old days, then fellow panelist, Tina called. She was on the second floor and I had to find her to give her an access wristband. After several minutes of talking I found her and we were off, back to room 5. One more panelist was scheduled to help but was MIA for the time being.

Soon it was 15-minutes to 9 and I cast aside my last minute jitters and we got on stage, ready to start at exactly 9am. The room was packed with people and no seats were left. 9am was such a great time and made me nostalgic for Saturday morning cartoons. We all picked a decade and were quietly preparing by reading over my notes when it was suddenly 9 and we haven't even test the mikes yet. So after everyone tapped their mikes it was showtime. We all introduced ourselves and Tina introduced our panel called A Brief History of Anime in the US. There are several histories of anime online and in books, but none tackle the US solely. Tina is an expect on Osamu Tezuka and she started things off with the 60's. Will and I handled the 70's. because we lived through it. Then one minute past 9 and Jocelynne called and was lost, so I helped her find the room. She found it and our panelists were all accounted for. I talked about the 80's because I am the Robotech fanboy and contributed a lot of my own personal experiences. Will spoke on Star Blazers and explored the military aspects and what made that show such a great space opera. All throughout our panel, I was wondering how we were doing. At the end, the room was still filled, people were cheering and clapping, and we got a standing ovation. It was a hit after all. If you get the chance come see us. A big special thanks to Tina, Will, and Jocelynne. Jocelynne was a great speaker on the 90's. I'm already looking forward to hosting this panel again.

After the panel, I hung out with Will and his wife. We just randomly roamed the dealers room, taking cosplay pictures. Hit Girl was my favorite this year.

Also being a huge fan of The Force Awakens, I flipped out over this one.

The Dynamic Duo took me back to watching Batman reruns on Saturday mornings.

I HAVEN'T HAD MY MUFFIN YET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Standing in line and waiting for my Diet Coke refill I met the one called Sailor Moon. She wore a beautiful figure necklace.

Close to 6pm, after lugging my laptop and camera it was time to head home. I said goodbye to the Robinsons and hiked back to my car at Fort Brooke Garage.

I had a great time and will definitely return for my 5th year anniversary in 2017.

 "Da-dum-duuummmm! I, am Captain Chaos! And this, this is my faithful companion, Cato... Say hello, Cato!"

All my pictures are available here.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/genkigaijin/albums/72157672094769175